Is this the year that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll finally hold your finished book in your hands? What steps are you taking toward this goal?<\/p>\n
For many, the hardest part of the publishing process is finding a publisher. If publishing is in your thoughts this year, you are probably asking:<\/p>\n
* How do I go about finding a publisher?
\n* How do I approach a publisher?
\n* Do I need an agent?
\n* How many rejections are enough?
\n* At what point should I consider self-publishing?<\/p>\n
If you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t had any of these questions rolling around in your mind, you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ready to publish your book. The rest of you are probably eagerly awaiting my responses to one or more of these questions. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve already read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, <\/em>you are way ahead of the game. But don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t leave the blog, yet. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always more to learn.<\/p>\n 1: How does one find an appropriate<\/em> publisher<\/strong>? Note: The word appropriate, in this sentence, is important because publishers are not one-size-fits-all propositions, these days. Most of them specialize. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s necessary that you can identify the genre of your book before you start a publisher search. Pages 24-28 in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em>, will help you to determine the genre of your book. <\/p>\n A: Find the appropriate publisher for your genre and your topic listed in Writer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Market <\/em>(available in the reference section of most libraries and in most bookstores for around $30). Or use their database at http:\/\/www.writersmarket.com<\/a> for a nominal fee. There are also other publisher reference guides you can use. <\/p>\n B: Visit your nearest mega bookstore. Look at books similar to yours and note the authors of those books. Locate contact information and submission guidelines for those publishers (tips for doing this in Q #2).<\/p>\n C: Do a Google search to find publishers in your genre.<\/p>\n 2: Approach the publisher in the way he or she requires<\/strong>. First, always request (or locate online) their submission guidelines. Study them. Make sure that your project fits this publisher\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s requirements. Submit the materials that particular publisher asks for and in the way that he requests it. Address your query letter or book proposal cover letter to the appropriate individual (by name). <\/p>\n Likewise, if the publisher accepts only manuscripts of 80,000 words, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t send him a 20,000 word novella or a 150,000 word book. If he requires a book proposal first, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t send the complete manuscript.<\/p>\n 3: Do you need an agent? It depends. While some publishers require that you approach them only through an agent, others prefer working directly with an author. Finding an agent can be as daunting and frustrating as finding a publisher. And landing an agent does not mean that you will automatically get published. <\/p>\n Note: Choose an agent appropriate for your particular book who is a member of Association of Authors\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Representatives (AAR). http:\/\/www.aar-online.org<\/a> <\/p>\n 4: If you get rejected\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand you probably will\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthen you have a decision to make. The thing that most authors don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realize is that there are hundreds of publishers out there\u00e2\u20ac\u201dlarge, medium and small. Writer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Market <\/em>lists over 150 publishers of educational material, for example. There are at least 60 publishers for creative nonfiction. Do you write mysteries? In Writer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Market <\/em>you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll find over 100 publishers of mysteries seeking good books. And there are around 100 publishers for juvenile books. Writer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Market <\/em>has an extensive list of publishers, but this volume does not include all of them. <\/p>\n Rejection is pretty much inevitable. As you may know if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been studying the publishing industry, some best selling books were rejected numbers of times before they were either accepted or the author self-published and brought them to notice. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one thing for sure, if you give up after 3 or 103 rejections, the book will never be published.<\/p>\n A general rule of thumb for many is that if a book is rejected across the board by, say 10 or more appropriate publishers, maybe you need to take another look at your book. Perhaps the focus isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite right. Maybe it needs editing. Did any of the publishers critique the book\u00e2\u20ac\u201dgive you advice or suggestions? If so, this could be a sign that it has promise. Most publishes will reject a bad idea or a poorly written book with no comment. <\/p>\n So how many rejections is enough? You could land a contract the first time out or it may take 120 rejections before the time is right, the circumstance is right and the right publisher comes along. Or you might decide to bypass the traditional royalty publisher all together and self-publish. If this is your decision, be prepared to promote hard and hardy to make your book a success. Better yet, be sure that your book is truly a good idea and not just wishful thinking. <\/p>\n Throughout my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em>, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll read stories about authors who pushed ahead with their books and paid to have them published only to learn later that their manuscripts weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ready for publication. They just hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t taken enough time to truly understand something about the publishing industry and their responsibilities within this competitive field. Most hurry-up authors neglect to even consider their target audience\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe audience who would truly want to read this book. Many don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take into consideration the competition for their book.<\/p>\n Those of you who are in a hurry to complete your book and get it on the market, I urge you to slow down. Mistakes are made when you are in a hurry. Stop for a minute and read my article, Hurry Up and Fail<\/em>. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/articles\/publish_hurryfail.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n 5: When should one consider self-publishing? For some, self-publishing is the answer. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t waste your time seeking out a traditional royalty publisher. An example would be a local history book, a memoir about someone who isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t known. For others, self-publishing is never the right answer. How\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that for confusing the issue?<\/p>\n Truly, if you have a great idea, you present it in a timely manner, it is an extremely well-written book, there is an audience who is hungry for this book and you have the time, ideas, money, energy and willingness for promoting this book, then go ahead and consider self-publishing. <\/p>\n For the rest of you, once you have exhausted all avenues to getting your book published, you have examined your book to make sure it is a viable product, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve written a complete book proposal and have honestly responded to all parts of it, then self-publishing may be for you.<\/p>\n I generally suggest self-publishing (establishing your own publishing company) rather than going with a POD publishing service. But if you want to go that route, please, please, please, study your options. In his new book, The Fine Print of Self-publishing<\/em>, Mark Levine compares many of these companies to make it easy to choose the one that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right for you.<\/p>\n Again, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be in so much of a hurry to publish that you start making costly mistakes.<\/p>\n And before you even enter into the publishing field with your amazing book, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em>.<\/p>\n